Process for treating trees.



N. LONGPEATHER. PROCESS FORTRBATING IEEBS; APPLIUATIOH FILED 0011.23, 1912.

Patented Aug.19, 1913 NICHOLAS LONGFEATHEB, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

I EOCESS FOR TREATING TREES.

Specification of Letter P n Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Application filed October 23, 1912. Serial N0. 727,460.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS Lenorna'rnsu, an Apache Indian, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton, State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes for Treating Trees, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improve-- ments in the manner of treating bruises or wounds in the trunk or branches of a live tree whereby the sound and uninjured portions remaining after the removal of the decayed or foreign matter are left in such form that each and every part is properly nourished by the remaining vascular bundles and further disintegration or decay prevented. I i

It is well known in the art of forestry that the vascular bundles in trees run substantially parallel to each other, and I have discovered that when the decayed portions are removed and the cavity to be filled with cementitious material has been formed substantially rectangular or oval shaped in a vertical cross section, ashas been customary in the art, that some of the vascular bundles are permanently cut off, thus affecting the Communication between the root system and the branches and this in proportion to the breadth of the cavit so that if the portions directly above or be ow a cavity receive any nourishment it must be transferred to these l parts from the remaining uninjured-vascu-l lar bundles. I have discovered that the? vascular bundles will feed nourishment 1105 the solid portions .of the tree remaining around the cavity in substantially straight lines of V-shaped formation; that is, the vascular bundles will transfer nourishment at acute angles extending upward from the normal direction of the flow and will not transfer in a direct line across the flow, and that, when a cavity is formed in the tree and the nourishment seeks to find its way upward around the cavity, it separates at the bottom below the cavity and joins at the top above the cavity at an angle dependent somewhat in degree upon the width of the cavity so that the lines bordering the nourished portion of the tree form a vertex both above and below the cavity and, if the cavity is formed square or even circularacross the bottom and top or in any form exce it V' sha ied, a three cornered )ortion l t l, I 1

above and below the cavity remains unnourished by the natural circulation and as a result dies so that the work must be done over.

A further object of forming the cavity V- shaped at the bottom is that all drainage and other water flows rapidly down into the vertex and is discharged thereby.

Another object of my invention is to s form the wallet the cavity at the outer edge thereof that it will expand somewhatunder the pressure of the filling material and as the filling material contracts it will'tencl to take up this contraction so that the joint between the outer edge of the wall of the cavity and the filling material is always tight and substantially waterproof, and I have discovered that this object is obtained by cutting out the cavity until acute angles preferably not greater than 45, are formed by the meeting of the circumferential line of the tree and the circumferential line of the cavit forming at each edge of the cavity a tin flexible flange.

Another object is to provide room for the expansion of the bark around the cavity and at the same time a space to receive a medicinal compound for protecting the cambiuni layer until the new bark forms and to stimulate and hasten the growth of the bark and to cover the joint between the wall of thecavity and the filling material to preventthe entrance of water or moisture therein until the bark has had'tiine to cover.

thisjoint, and this object is acomplished by cutting away a portion of the. bark around the cavity to leave a border or margin of solid wood to which is applied the healing compound the composition and use oi which in the dra wingsFigure 1 is a view of atree having an unsound portion treated in accordance with my process. cross section on line 22, Fig.1.

-.-1 is the border line of a "cavity in the tree .-A and has 'a filling -2, of ccmentitious material. The lines of the cav- Fig. is a t as ity meet at a vertex at both top and bottom, so that the" cavity itself is wedge shaped at both top and bottom and preferably the lines formingthetop and bottom. If-the cavity been cutaway to allow for theexpansion of the surrounding bark and to-receive a stimulating comfiound adapted..- to hasten the growth of ealthy bark and tocover the goint between theatres and the filling comound toprevent the entrance of water until the bark grows over the joint.

The cavity is so out out that the-angle formed atthe, points 11 and 12 by the meeting of lines 18 and 14. isacute and ably, asvshownhere, 'lessthan forty- 'vedegrees so that at these points are formed opposits, thin fiexible and pliableflangea-and the wood at this ;fpointswillfgive-without breaking-under. the weight or subsequent exension of the filling material and will. tend to return toits normal position and to take up any contraction so that the joint I is aiways tight between the wood and the fill-- ing material. V

A short distance back of the edge of the cavity is formed a ribor anchorage --15-- by leaving a strip of soundwoodextending outwardly into the cavity. This I revents any ossible displacement of the fi ing materia rise slightly from the horizontal as 9 they extend-inwardly inthe tree, so that the moisture will'fiow outwardly. The result of refer when claim is:

1. A, process for treating trees COmpI'lS- 'in'g the removal of the decayed or injured gortion, the formation of a cavity therein aving a V-shaped top and bottom and then filling the cavity.

' 2. A'process for treating trees comprising the removal ofthe decayed or injured portion, the formation of a cavity having a vertex at the bottom and then filling the cavity. a 3. A process for treating trees comprising the removal of the decayed or injured portion, the formation of a cavity therein of such form that the circumferential line of the cavity will meet the circumferential line of-the tree at acute angles and then filling tliecavity.

4. A process for treating trees comprising the removal of the decayed or injured portion, the formation of a cavit having a portion of'the bark along the e ge thereof cut away to leave a margin of solid wood then filling the cavity and covering the margin of solid wood with a stimulating compound. 5. A process for treating trees comprising theremoval of the decayed or injured por tion, the formation of a cavity having a vertex at its top and then filling the cavity,

- 6. A process for treating trees comprising the removal of the decayed or injured portion,.the formation of a cavity hav ng a vertex at-its top. and bottom and thin flexible flanges forming-thewall of the cavity at the outer edge thereof, and filling the cavity.

7 A- process for treating trees comprising the. removalfof the decayed or injured portion;;the-formation of thin flexible flanges toi form-the upright walls of the cavity at the outer edge thereof.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of September 1912.

' NICHOLAS LONGFEATHER.

Witnesses:

.WILLIAM LEE, HUGH M. Scor'r.

tiogiics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

